The Wise Love
by LucyfromSK
Summary: Keiko's love for Yusuke isn't aimed at tying him to where Keiko wants him to be. My first story. Oneshot.


Dear readers,

thank you for your decision to read my story. I have known this site for a long time and finally I have created an account to submit a story. I hope you will like my reading. As for the stories, I would be glad if you would rate and review them. It would help my improve my writing and get some experience. My hope is to give you a chance to relax and to be impressed.

So now, sit back, put your feet up, relax and enjoy...

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters.

...pity....

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The wise love

Yusuke was currently going through some sort of déjà vu. He was walking along a bank of the river flowing through the city. The bank was raised above the river level which resulted in a semi-steep grass slope running along the river connecting its bed with the pavement. He was moving a few steps ahead of the person who has been on his side ever before. Keiko straightened her neck and looked at the back of Yusuke's figure. No sooner had she been invited by Yusuke to go for a stroll than she knew that it would only be a matter of time when Yusuke would leave again. Four years have passed since the first Makai tournament took place and that fact brought up a serious decision. She couldn't deny realizing the irreversible change in Yusuke's nature. He may have gone on behaving spontaneously, he may have remained simple and eccentric but none of that could erase his core. He died twice in his life, but the second time he was reborn as a demon. This couldn't happen the previous time as he hadn't had enough spiritual power for his true origin to become apparent. But since then he had gained enough evidence to prove there was something more which had been patiently sleeping inside, waiting for the right time to pop up. Watching the sun setting down Keiko couldn't hold back memories. The memories of Yusuke's return, her happiness and their first kiss. Or actually her first kiss to Yusuke. Dark bitterness emerged when she realized she has never kissed him again since then. Surely, they were hanging around, holding hands and so, but... Nothing more and nothing deeper. _Nothing deeper_. Keiko sighed. Yusuke's sensitive hearing caught the slight noise and made him turn around. Keiko nearly bumped into his muscular chest, but she managed to stop without touching any part of his body. Both Yusuke and Keiko were confused, but none of them tried to avert their gaze from one another. After a few seconds of intensive tension Keiko regained her composure first.

"Shall we sit down for a while?" she proposed. Yusuke nodded with a faint word of "Sure" and the next minute they were resting their feet on the meek carpet of grass. Sitting side by side, surrounded by silence and an enormous question-mark hanging over them. Keiko knew she could no longer put off the inevitable. She turned her face to Yusuke who automatically set his eyes on her.

"I am putting this straight. Are you going back to Makai?"

Yusuke choked and turned a bit red. He didn't expect such a question. To be exact, he anticipated her to mention the subject. Apparently, she managed to get the meaning of his invitation by herself, she managed to understand what he just wasn't able to speak out. However, he didn't expect her to put a question like this.

"Yes, I am, " he answered still wondering about the formulation of her question.

"Well, I guess it's OK. " Yusuke raised his eyebrows and opened his mouth. He was in a total state of shock over her words. What was even more surprising was Keiko's stoic calmness. She didn't move a muscle and he was about to jump out of his skin! He clenched his fists and went absolutely angry.

"What the hell are you talking about? How could it be OK for you? You have never wanted me to go to Makai, have you? So why the indulgence, dammit?"

The spot of her eyes cut the line of his feverous words. Those eyes didn't reflect a pinch of indulgence. Those eyes were sparkling wells of emotions.

"There's no lie in your words, Yusuke. I have really never wanted you to go away. But that doesn't exclude the fact that I won't let you go." Yusuke's expression softened. He shook his head from side to side and his upper limbs fainted.

"I don't understand."

Keiko took a deep inhale with her eyes closed. When she opened them she looked directly into Yusuke's eyes.

"Let me explain it to you then. When you first died I suddenly became aware of my strong affection to you. It was a completely new feeling which had been hiding inside me. All the pestering, all the yelling, persuading, slapping, annoying... all of that was indeed outer evidence of my feelings. I was nervously waiting for you to be resurrected and thereafter I have been worrying about you. Of course, you knew that very well. Having mentioned that, I do have to apologize for causing you lots of trouble based on our relationship."

Yusuke couldn't believe his ears. "You aren't at fault, Keiko. Thanks to you I was able to beat my opponents several times!"

Keiko let a small smile creep on her face. "We are both carrying our part of blame. But that's not the point. You see, Yusuke, I love you. So far I haven't found a logical reason, the very source from where my love stems. But that is no longer essential. Although I could name all your virtues which I admire, nothing would fully describe the true cause. What is more important is the way I love you. In the past, which is not that far away, my love was completely different."

"What do you mean by that? " Yusuke inquired. Little did he know how much Keiko has changed. No, she hasn't changed, that wasn't it. She has matured.

"Back then I didn't want you to take any risk, I wanted you to live a normal life. That, however, wasn't possible. Your character just wasn't made for this world to live in. Therefore all that left to me was my anxiety. You might think I was so worried because I didn't want you to suffer, to be injured, to die again. That's all well and good, but at the same time a lie. A big lie. The true cause was my selfishness."

"Selfishness? You consider your care for me selfishness?"

"My care was selfishness because it was not focused on you, but on myself. I didn't want you to go because _I_ would be alone. I didn't want you to be hurt because that would hurt _me_. And finally I didn't want you to die because you would leave _me_. It was always me, only my interests and my ego. I was blind to see the reality. I was deaf to really listen to your heart. When you left for Makai for those three years I nearly drowned in my desperation. Luckily, I somehow succeeded in covering it perfectly; somehow I found the strength over and over again. However, that day at the beach all my patience died down and my egoism proved its existence once again. I said, or screamed, I didn't want to continue waiting. And my desire was fulfilled. "

Yusuke blinked his eyelids twice and looked away. The sun set down long time ago and they were both in darkness, only a haze of streetlight reaching their site.

"Sometimes I cannot decide whether to stay here or to move to Makai entirely," Yusuke confessed. Keiko shook her head and placed her soft palm on his shoulder which made him spin his head to its previous position.

"You do. You want to settle down in Makai."

Yusuke's faced shaped into a questioning look. It was obvious for Keiko that he felt lost.

"Let me use an analogy so that _you_ get the meaning right, OK?" Keiko suggested curving her lips. Yusuke smiled. Keiko's mocking style was back at least for a little while. "When my mother goes shopping for food to run the family business, she always chooses the same shop. Most of the goods she needs is profitable to buy there, the prices are reasonable and the quality is more than standard. That is what attracts her. However, some supplies offered are more expensive than in any other shop. Only few items she usually buys cost more than anywhere else but it doesn't matter to her. Those few things can't discourage her from being loyal to the company. The same situation applies to you… basically. In Ningenkai there are only a few things which might coax you to stay here. You know them all: me, Kuwabara, Kurama, Shizuru, arcade, your mother, maybe Yukina also. But the list is complete. And this poor list of 'advantages' cannot be a competition to a far longer one concerning Makai. You can train here, improve your abilities, you can fight, do what you like, you have loads of freedom and a good chance to measure your power. Strong rivals are waiting for you there, like Hiei, Jin, Chu, Rinku, but also Mukuro and Yomi. And Raizen's friends to add up. I bet it's clear for you now."

Yusuke didn't answer by words. He took Keiko's hand in his palm and squeezed. "I don't want to hurt you, Keiko."

Keiko lifted her other arm and caressed his cheek. "I know you don't. And you won't."

Yusuke nodded and pulled her to his arms. He let his arms circle around her slender waist and enjoyed the feeling of her hands resting on his nape. Putting her head on his shoulder Keiko spoke once again. "All I wish for now is your happiness. That's the objective of my love now. I do not want to tie you where you don't belong anymore. I don't want you to be close to me if that's the only thing this world can offer. Go wherever your soul wants to be and find your true sense of life there. If your lookout for satisfaction turns out as desired, I'll feel whole. And don't cry."

She pulled away to wipe away Yusuke's tears which were streaming down his face willy-nilly. "You have no reason to cry. You are causing me no pain. You aren't betraying anyone. And you don't have to feel sorry for me. This is no end, Yusuke. This is no parting. You yourself know very well that if you happen to yearn for those few items in Ningenkai, you can always have as much as you want of them. They will always be here for you."

Yusuke's throat went dry and he felt a tremendous hindrance in his voice box which prevented him from expressing his immense gratefulness. On the other hand, it didn't matter at all. The girl who had such sincere and pure feelings for him seemed to understand him anyway as she said: "You're welcome."

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